The Makings Of A Strong Character

What makes a good character?
Physical appearance, dialog maybe?

Then think of what makes a great character?
Morals, actions?
.......
But what forms the best character? 
Head strong, inner drive, motivation, relationships, ethics, love.

Importance of Developing Stages

How do we expect to encapsulate a person in our minds without forming a detailed character profile that can outline so many aspects about a character's development long before your story even begins?
Shortly answered, many strong characters are people who have more in their story than what the writer reveals. It makes for more realistic interactions, relationships, stress, strain, heartbreak, understanding. Everything about a character can be charted in their development, then form even stronger over the course of a story plot. It doesn't even take a serious amount of effort. By simply taking time to jot down notes about characters, little details, even some background information that is completely unnecessary to the writer's story, a more fluid well-rounded character can impact the course of a tale, causing a reader to relate more closely.

What are character profiles and what should they include?

A character profile is a characters life, basically. Authors use a different sheet (or Word document) to write about characters in a story, relationships, background  information. Everything there is to know about this specific person should be written inside a character profile.

Though in a story, it is best to avoid information that isn't helping form the plot structure, having tid-bits of information about a character placed somewhere (like a character profile) will help a writer get a better sense at who they are writing.

The more you know about a person, the better you can describe them, right?

That goes with characters in a novel as well. Can you imagine how well organized J.K. Rowling would have had to have been to keep all the tiny details about her characters from her novels straight and flowing? It would nearly be impossible! The keep your story straight and your characters genuine, they should always be formed first before the story itself. 

But That Isn't All.

It can be child's play to make a good-natured, selfless hero in a story. Truly. What makes a character stand out, and make the novel best-selling, is how the reader relates to them. If there isn't a connection formed within the beginning of the novel, a reader will seriously grow to detest the character, no matter how strong they are.

Keep in mind, it is damn hard to relate to a perfect protagonist.

So in order to make the audience relate to your character, you must have a character that seems real. Real-life person you can meet on the street. Meaning what?

Character Flaw.

You characters MUST have character flaws (as all people do) and they must stay true to the flaw.

As a writer, you must be able to take on the "role" of the character and write exactly as you feel as that character. You cannot have all your characters be morally good, or see through a rational mind. People aren't like that. Some are. But not everyone. As an author you must be able to become like an actor in a way, to become a character to write. It can be a struggle, especially if they are so opposite from you but it is a crucial role in writing anything. Stay true to their weaknesses. Stay true to their qualities. 

Example, Bella Swan in Twilight was so awkward and clumsy. It was mentioned all the time. As a human, she'd knock things over and fall down and hurt herself. Even when it was inconvenient, she'd be awkward and weridly move. Stephanie Meyer stayed true to Bella's flaw even when it would have been better for Bella to be agile and quick. Granted, I don't believe when she turned into a vampire, that all her qualities just melted away into one big Cullen clan, same person in eight bodies kind of thing. Suddenly she was able-bodied and strong and had purposeful movements. So this works as a GOOD and BAD example of keeping true to a character even if it isn't beneficial and how weird it is when you change.

Short List of Character Flaws for Characters

• Childish
• Big mouth
• Disloyal
• Deranged (mentally)
• Lazy
• Lewd
• Abusive
• Overambitious
• Sadist
• Unlucky
• Vain
• Shallow
• Naiive

There are many more comprehensive lists of character flaws if you are looking for something else, but anything can become a flaw if you write it to be that way. Even being soft-hearted can be a fatal or character flaw because of their nature.

So as you see, making characters isn't always as easy as coming up with a name and forming it as you go. It can be much more beneficial to your novel, and your other characters, to have previous background information drawn up in regards to the character. Any kind of information about the person you write will assist in making the character seem put together and much more than a person to say words to. 

Reviews for Cursed Hearts, available now for purchase!

Also be sure to check out my recently released YA novel, Cursed Hearts. Now available for purchase on Createspace.com, Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com. Buy your copy today and start enjoying the paranormal romance between Anouk and Biyen whose love is long awaited but greatly hated by the world they live in. 

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